Frequent Questions
Please describe what professional coaching is all about?
Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative process between the coach and coachee that inspires a person to maximise their personal and professional potential. Through coaching, the individual may experience that the process actually unlocks behaviour change by implementing new habits, the coachee gains access to untapped sources of imagination, they can become more productive, and their leadership skills are enhanced. The process of working with a coach, creates a journey for the coachee to experience greater personal and professional fulfilment.
Who is likely to benefit from coaching and why?
Any professional can benefit from coaching at any stage of their careers. If the coachee is prepared to work hard, invest the time, and engage in self-exploration and critical thinking, working with a coach is perfect for deep work to be done on rich and rewarding self-development and actualisation.
Is coaching the same thing as going for psychological counselling, or mentoring?
When going through the process of coaching, the coachee drives the process. The coach provides the guidelines and support for the coachee to take ownership, to develop new self-awareness, and perspectives. The Coach asks many questions to get the coachee to dive into a meaningful self-exploration that helps the coachee understand themselves more deeply and to improve their performance. It’s all about the coachee discovering key insights for themselves. The objective is to set goals and through the interactive process, create outcomes, and manage the personal and professional change management process in the direction that the coachee is wanting to achieve in. The coach is the leader in the coaching process and the coachee can fulfil the destiny that they are imagining for themselves.
Therapy deals with going into the person’s past in order to heal pain, trauma, dysfunction or conflict within an individual or relationships. The main objective is to resolve these difficulties established in one’s past that impair an individual’s emotional health in the present. It aims to improve the overall psychological functioning of the person undergoing therapy and providing ways to deal with the present in an emotionally healthy way.
There may be some cases, where a coach refers a person to therapy if they observe signs that the coachee may need this type of support. A Coach could also work alongside therapist, to build and sustain healthy habits in the person moving forward.
To draw a comparison, a mentor is a subject-matter expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on their own experiences. However, when involved in coaching, the coach focuses on facilitating individuals or groups to draw upon their own experiences and capabilities to set and reach their own objectives.
What are the signs that I might benefit from coaching?
Coaching is a great catalyst in helping to shift relationships. Many professionals may feel stuck or that they have hit a wall in their career development or be in a position where they feel they are not progressing before they begin coaching. Coaching provides a roadmap to help one figure out how to achieve the results in an efficient and effective way for a person to feel that they are progressing in their career. Coaching is an excellent tool when one is moving into a new role with no previous experience for example in leadership. It is also invaluable when one goes through a major change, either personally or professionally. So, if a person is wanting to change direction completely or perhaps they simply want to keep growing skills and competencies, a coach is an excellent partner to help a person find the route to the next goal.
What happens in a coaching session?
As the coachee is responsible for the progress to be achieved during coaching, it is imperative that a coaching agreement has been drawn up between the coach and coachee. The role of the coach is to challenge the coachee’s way of thinking using tools designed to evoke awareness, encourage the coachee to consider new perspectives, and provide the safe context for learning and growth to happen, but keeping a keen eye on ensuring that progress is made toward achieving the agreed and clearly defined goal. The tools that could be used may be worksheets, assessments, or a personal SWOT analysis just to name a few.
What are some of the changes that I could expect to experience should I go through coaching?
Coaching improves communication skills, increases self-esteem/self-confidence, and productivity and it optimises individual/team performance and assists with improving work/life balance.
What can I expect as a business leader, to be helped with by a coach if they don’t have the same business experience that I do?
Coaching is a process that facilitates a person to tap into their own internal wisdom, by inducing awareness to help the client come up with different perspectives or alternate approaches. A coach will not be less effective in helping you achieve your career goals just because they have less experience in your industry or role. Together you think through options in the process of coaching — the coach will collaborate with you, and in turn you will challenge your own thinking which will help evoke creativity and innovation.
Why would coaching be good for me, my team, or my organisation?
Coaching is a way to invest in yourself and your future. Working with a coach is a transformational experience. Coaching empowers you as a leader, a professional and a human being. Coaching can enhance your impact within your organization, bolster your team and advance your career. These benefits can positively impact your life beyond your career, helping you to find improved work-life balance and communicate better with loved ones. Coaching can help you recharge, refocus, and reach new heights of success for you, your team and for the company’s performance to improve as the team will be empowered to better achieve their objectives.
What service does an HR consultant provide?
A human resource consultant facilitates an organization to ensure that its human capital serves the best interest of the company. The consultant creates and develops a model that is specific to the organization. Their job is to ensure that the company’s workforce is operating to reach its optimum efficiency and maintain productivity.
The HR consultant advises companies on many issues that involve the workforce to ensure that there are procedures and policies in place ensuring the company is compliant with legislation applicable to their employees. In some instances, organizations may need guidance to establish a grievance mediation process. In other settings the HR consultant could also make recommendations for reorganizing the departments’ leadership structure.
They can also address specific issues within the organization such as assisting with an overhaul of the human capital of the company. The HR consultant’s purpose is to give the company support to manage all aspects of human capital.
What are some of the main functions of an HR consultant?
- Advise management on the processes and policies of human resources.
- To serve an HR team by analysing the current programs in HR and recommend a solution.
- Developing the HR procedures and policies as well as revising and implementing them.
- Ensuring that the HR service and programs are in line with the established legislated procedures and policies.
- Prepare and maintain the reports that are related to specific HR projects.
- Offer assistance with the coordination and development of the recommended changes with regards to the workflow.
- Developing methods to compile and analyse the data for special projects and reports.
- Conduct HR activities and audits to ensure compliance.
- Presenting a training session that is related to a specific HR program
If you have any questions related to Coaching, Mentoring, HR Consulting or Soft Skills Training, please reach out to us.
Our focus is on providing personalised service and we understand that your situation is unique.